Perspective 1: My Kids are growing up. They are no longer little toddlers and snuggle monkeys. They were so cute. I want them to stay little forever.

Perspective 2: My kids are growing up! They can read, grab their own snack, don’t need me to wipe their butts, can travel long distances. The possibilities for new adventures has opened up.

Looking at the two sentences above we can see we are talking about the same era in life. The era where our kids are no longer dependent on us for daily needs and can do more. One outlook is negative, focusing on what we are loosing and the other focuses on what we gain.

In every situation there is something lost and something gained. How you view these moments determine your future. One can be fulfilling and other is one of stress and disappointment. In our home, no matter how hard, we focus on the something gained.

I look at my BRCA journey as a massive opportunity. One my family before me wasn’t able to have. One in which I get to live. I get the opportunity at a chance of life without cancer.

I could focus on the life without boobs, without ovaries and a uterus, without some God given parts. But what would that accomplish? A sad life filled with disappointment that it didn’t “turn out” the way I originally envisioned when I was 13 without a care in the world?

Instead focus on what you gain: A life with way less cancer risk, a life with my kids, a look at the world through a healthy perspective and I GET to give that gift to my kids. I GET to pass down the healthy habits I developed during this era. I GET to have sex without birth control, all the time! I GET to never have a period again. I GET to skip mammograms. I GET to skip pap smears. I GET to skip menopause and taper off my hormone replacements when it is time.

Look at all those GETS. Way better than the withouts.

Life is too short to hold on to the withouts. Embrace the GETS and live balls out, every single day.

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